Jorge Posada says he won't return to Yankees

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerJorge Posada has played all 17 of his major-league seasons with the Yankees.

NEW YORK — The Yankees told Jorge Posada he would no longer be their catcher, yet he lugged his gear around all season, just in case. Months earlier, with a few weeks to go before spring training, his emotions were still raw from the news.

Yet, with his words coated in his trademark defiance, he vowed that he would be behind the plate once more.

“I’ll catch,” he said. “I’ll catch this year.”

And he did, on Sept. 11 against the Los Angeles Angels, receiving a standing ovation when he entered the game as a replacement for the injured Russell Martin. Once more, as he had done in 17 seasons with the only franchise he has known, Posada’s will won out.

Of course, that moment will now go down as his last as a catcher for the New York Yankees. Posada confirmed tonight what seemed to be the inevitable: After five World Series championships, after restoring the glamor to baseball’s most storied franchise, after providing the spirit of defiance that helped to remake an entire culture in the Bronx, Posada said he has played his final game as a Yankee.

“I don’t think there’s a percentage chance that I can come back,” said Posada, in his first public comments since breaking down in front of his locker, following his final game with the Yankees. “I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

Posada, 40, said he is undecided about whether he will keep playing. He began his offseason workouts on Nov. 1, as he always has. But Posada said he must weigh whether he can fathom playing in another uniform. At season’s end, Posada said a half-dozen teams called to express interest. He is open to becoming a backup catcher, a part-time first baseman and designated hitter.

After a strong October performance — after hitting just .235 during the season he hit .429 during the Yankees’ first-round loss to the Detroit Tigers — Posada still believes he has more to give. But he likely will not decide until after the New Year. He wants to follow the advice of his wife Laura, who wants Posada to have no regrets.

“I think after he stays home a few more months and he realizes how hard it is to stay home with the kids, I think he’s going to pay a team to have him play,” she said.

Even before Posada closed the book on his Yankees career, his return appeared highly unlikely. Earlier in the day, general manager Brian Cashman rattled off a long list of players that would be suited to fill the designated hitter role, including top prospect Jesus Montero.

Cashman said he had not yet reached out to Posada’s agents. Posada said he doesn’t expect that he will.

Said Posada: “It’s not gonna happen.”

Beginning last offseason, when the Yankees stripped him of his catching duties, Posada has endured a rocky exit. His offensive skills seemed to erode, a decline that came to a head during a May game against the Red Sox, when manager Joe Girardi dropped him to the eighth spot in the lineup.

Posada responded by pulling himself out of the lineup, an act of defiance that angered the organization.

“You look back and wish there were some things that could have gone differently,” Posada said. “But they didn’t. There’s nothing I could control. Everything happens for a reason. I’m not bitter at the Yankees. I’m not bitter at Joe Girardi. I’m not bitter at Brian Cashman. It just happened.”

Bernie Williams, a close friend, endured a similar ending to his career. When his contract expired in 2006, the Yankees didn’t offer him a contract. Posada likened his situation to that of Williams, who he had spoken with earlier in the day.

Said Posada: “It went the same way, pretty much.”

Though Williams has never officially retired, he never played for another team, a fate the Posada can share if he decides to retire. If Posada chooses to keep playing, he said he would prefer to play for a contender. His wife offered a hint at her preference.

Yet, Posada’s place in Yankees history is secure. Up until his final game in pinstripes, he kept a photograph of Yankees captain Thurman Munson, an ode to the catcher, and an insight to how Posada viewed his place in team history.

After a career that has put him on the brink of the Hall of Fame, Posada’s name dots the franchise record book. His 379 doubles and 936 walks rank seventh on the all-time Yankees list, his 275 homers rank eighth and his 1,065 RBI rank 11th. He caught 1,574 games for the Yankees. Only Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra have caught more.

He called the organization his second family, one that helped him launch the Jorge Posada Foundation, to benefit the victims of craniosynostosis, a condition that afflicts his son. Posada hosted a 10th anniversary celebration for his organization, which has helped raise public awareness of the condition.

A decade ago, the Yankees made the first donation.

“They have always been our sponsors,” Laura Posada said.

Of course, they have always been something more, whether or not Posada chooses to don another uniform.